Costa Rica's Phantom Ox Cart: A Halloween Legend Rooted in History
As October draws to a close, Costa Ricans prepare for Halloween with a mix of modern festivities and age-old tales that echo through rural communities.
One such narrative, the legend of La Carreta Sin Bueyes – the Cart Without Oxen – stands out as a distinctly Tico spooky story, tied to the nation’s history and symbols.
This tale centers on a ghostly ox cart that roams country roads in the dead of night, its wooden wheels creaking with a rhythmic traca, taca, tarata.
- No oxen pull it
- No driver guides it
- No hooves pound the ground
The legend of La Carreta Sin Bueyes – the Cart Without Oxen
Author's summary: Costa Rica's Halloween legend of a ghostly ox cart.